Car-coupling



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. U. E. MAGARTHY.

GAR COUPLING. 7 $10,254,347. Patented Feb. 28,1882.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 28heets-Sheet 2.

0. E. MACARTHY.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 254,347. Patented Peb. 28,1882,

f i M g INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

, NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. MAGARTHY, OF FORSYTH, GEORGIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,347, dated February 28, 1882.

Application filedJanuary 11,1852. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES E. MACAR'IHY, of Forsyth,in the county of Monroe and State of Georgia,have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figures 1, 2, 3, and at are vertical longitudinal sect1ons, show1ng difl'erent modifications of myinvention. Fig. 5 shows means for coupling cars of different heights. Figs. 6 and 7 are side and top views of the form of link which I ordinarily use. Fig. 8 is an end view of a car, showing the means for uncoupling the cars. Fig. 9 isa horizontal section of the drawbar.

The object of my invention is to provide means for converting the ordinary draw-bars of cars into automatic couplers with but little alteration of or injury to the draw-bar, and in,

In the bottom part of the draw-bar is jointed the vertical trigger-bar B, whose upper end protrudes through a slot which is cut in the top of the draw-bar, just back of the pin-hole. When this trigger-bar leans forward on its pivot it is in a position to be struck by the entering link. When it moves back, however, it retires into a vertical recess, a, Fig. 9, made to receive it, so that the solid back abutments of the draw-bar receive the greater part of the concussive strain of the entering link, and the trigger-bar is thereby protected. To the top of this trigger-bar is jointed a latch, G, which, when the pinD is elevated, enters a hole, b, in said pin to hold it up.

To keep the 'pin steady and erect, a detachable piece,E,is placed upon the top of the drawbar, and is formed with an eye at its front end, wl1ich,by encircling the pin just abovethe pin- 7 than to hold the pin its connection with said be necessary, as the raised wal around the pinhole will in that case afi'ord a snfficiently long bearing for the pin to hold it erect in its vertieal position. 7

As a modification of my invention, 1 may dispense entirely with the latch U and make the eye-piece E to do double duty, as shown in Fig. 2. In this case the eye of piece E both sustains the pin, which is set in an inclined position, as shown, and pulls it into position to fall. For this purpose this piece is jointed to the trigger-bar, and its eye is beveled so as to be flaring on the lower side. The pin-hole in the draw-bar is also preferably enarged and formed with a lip at its lower edge. When the trigger-bar is jointed to the drawbar at its lower end the pin is inclined forward and is straightened up by a backward pull on piece E; but I may modify this arrangement by locating the fulcrum of trigger-bar near the top of the draw-bar, and in that case the piece E would act reversely and the pin lean back from the mouth of the drawbar, as shown by dotted lines. When the draw-bar ot' a car projects but a short distancefroln the sill, and the latch C and pieceE would be in the way of thedrawbar in passing back under the sil|,l do not allow the trigger-bar to project above the drawbar, and I use a double-curved latch, whose end which is jointed to the trigger-bar is below the top of the draw-bar, and whose end which engages with the pin is slightly above the drawbar, as seen in Fig. 3.

A further modification of my invention is seen in Fig. 4, where the draw-bar is formed of a top plate, F, and bottom plate, G, with open sides. In this case I make a long slot in the top plate, so that the trigger-bar and itsjointed latch may fall entirely down into the draw-bar and lie horizontally on the bottom plate, as shown by the dotted lines. The draw-bar then,

hole, holds the pin steady and in position to at the moment it is driven in beneath the sills drop quickly down when the latch iswithdrawn. This eye-piece E is connected at the a horizontal position in coupling the cars, so as to properly enter the draw-head, the linkis formed as shown in Figs. 6 and 7that is to say, at one end of the link is formed an elongated eye of a sizea little larger than the pin, and by means of the long bearing thus given to the link around the pin the said link is always held in a horizontal position.

For coupling cars of difterentheigh ts ofdrawbar, a tongue-piece, H, Fig. 5, is made of a size to fit in the throat of the draw-bar, and is constructed with an oblique socket, 1, into which is fitted the shank 1 of a peculiarly-formed link, J, the link and the shank being t'orniedin one piece, and the shank being adjustably fitted in the socket by holes through it that register with lateral holes in the socket. Now, for coupling a high car to a low one, the tongue H is fitted in the draw-bar of the high car with the socket part I projecting up, and the coupling-pin of that car is passed through a vertical hole through said tongue to hold it. The shank l of the link J is then adjusted in the obliquely-arranged socket and fixed by a lat-- eral pin, so that the link will project horizontally at a point below exactly on a level with the draw-bar of the lower car. If the tongue and socket are to be placed in a low car, so as to couple with a high one, then the tongue is turned over, so that the oblique socket projects downwardly.

For uncoupling the cars without going between them I attach to the end of each car a bracket or support, K, Fig. 8, which carries a pulley or wheel, L, whose plane is parallel with the end of the car. Then to the pin I attach a chain, m, which passes over this wheel and extends to a hook or other suitable fastening on the side of the car. Then to this chain, between the wheel and the pin, I attach another chain, N, which extends to a hook or other fastening at the top of the car, so that the pin can be withdrawn either from the side or the top of the car. By connecting this second chain to the first at a point between the wheel and the pin, or even to the pin itself, 1 secure a very advantageous result, for it chains were used extending to the sides only the weight of the chain in sagging would be liable to pull up the pin and accidentally uncouple the cars at a time which might lead to disastrous results. By arranging one of the chains vertically and connecting it between the wheel and the pin the weight of this chain balances the tension of the side chain on the link, and prevents the said side chain from uncoupling the cars.

I am aware that a car coupling has been constructed in which the coupling-pin was connected to a vertical trigger-bar by a lever fulcrumed to work vertically above the draw-bar; but as the protrusion of the draw-bars (now in use) beyond the sill is very slight, this form of coupling could not be used with them, but only with long draw-bars designed specially to receive that form of device. My invention is designed to be used with the draw bars already in use, and it is distinctive in that the pin is sustained by a rectilinearly-sliding device above the draw-bar, which is jointed at its rear end to the trigger-bar and sustains the pin at the other, and which is sufiiciently compact to permit it to be used with the draw-bar already in use and to be applied to the same with but little alteration.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. The combination, with a plain draw-bar having a slot in its upper wall back of the pinhole, of a vertical trigger-bar fulcrumed upon a horizontal pin in the draw-bar, the coupling,- pin, and a rectilinearly-sliding device arranged above the top of the draw-bar, and jointed at its rear end to the trigger-bar, and arranged to trip the coupling-pin at its front end, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the coupling-pin and a draw-bar having a slot in its uppersurface back of the pin-hole, of a vertical triggerbar fulcrumed in the draw-bar, and a piece, E, formed with an eye encircling the pin and connected to the trigger-bar above and outside the draw-bar, as and for the purpose described.

3. The perforated tongue H, with hollow socket I, in combination with a link having a shank adapted to fit in said socket, and made adjustable therein, as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination, with the coupling-pin of a car, of a pulley or wheel arranged above the same, a chain connecting with the pin and passingoverthe wheel to the side of the car, and a second chain connecting with the pin at a point below the wheel, and extending vertically to the top of the car, as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

O. E. MAOARTHY.

Witnesses:

SoLoN O. KEMON, CHAS. A. PETTIT. 

